PAX venue will triple in size in 2007

According to a press release sent out today, the 2007 Penny Arcade Expo will be "triple the size of [the 2006 venue], and we've already begun to receive reservations for booth space from AAA publishers." Despite the massive growth, Penny Arcade's resident business guru, Robert Khoo, expressed a desire to keep PAX about the community. "We don't want to be E3," he said.

This years, over 17,000 people are expected to attend PAX. With triple the venue size, we can presume triple the attendance (the demand will be there, we suspect). A 2007 Penny Arcade Expo with around 51,000 attendees, puts it just under the size of E3 2006 (60,000 people). With such an influx of people and a growing list of major publishers, can Tycho and Gabe, Inc., manage to keep the sensationalism out?

Seattle, WA-August 14, 2006-There has been much discussion in the industry about what event, if any, will take the place of the event formerly known as E3. Robert Khoo, Penny Arcade's Director of Business Development, responds to widespread speculation about the growing role of the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), now in its third year:

"PAX has clearly been growing in leaps and bounds. Even before the demise of the 'old' E3, this year's PAX was on track to attract more than 17,000 attendees with a big presence from Microsoft and Nintendo and scores of other big names in gaming. But PAX is all about the community, and Penny Arcade is committed to keeping it that way. We don't want to be E3. PAX is a place that hardcore gamers, whether they work in the industry, or not, come to be completely immersed in game play, game music and game culture.

There will be some changes in store for PAX next year. In 2007, PAX will move to a venue triple the size of 2006, and we've already begun to receive reservations for booth space from AAA publishers. Based on recent conversations with our exhibitors and potential new exhibitors, we do expect publishers to continue - perhaps even more so than in the past - to reveal developmental phase games to hardcore game fans in order to get their direct input on unfinished products. In a way, PAX is like a giant 3-day beta test, which works really well for both developers and publishers. We're also seeing an increase in PAX interest from the media - both gaming and mainstream."